Jenova's Children
by Paper Redemption
Summary: Advent Children Plot AU. Hojo had been constructing a clone of JENOVA before he died. And now JENOVA has awakened with in the empty clone. With a sinister plot to get revenge on Gaia. If you like the darkness FF7 brings, you WILL like this plot.
1. She Awakens

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

I hope everyone will like this first chapter. I use this to write when I can't write on my original story. Fanfiction is so much easier.

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italtics_ : sentences that are in Italitics means they are flash backs.

* * *

**Chapter One : She Awakens**

'I am calling my children...come to me.'

The voice of mother resounded within the minds of those who shared her cells. Deep under the decaying Shinra Mansion, hidden away and forgotten was the scientific lab of the extraordinary minds of Shinra. There Hojo had been working on recreating Jenova, her Rebirth has he liked to call it.

Years had past since she had last awoken in the amniotic tank, her body renewed, her lungs eager to breathe the air once more. The outside of the tank began to crack and the greenish blue liquid started to leek from it. Jenova pulled against the cables that had held her in place for so long, they ripped from her flesh, clouding the liquid that surrounded her.

The thick glass of the tank cracked even more, then broke allowing the fluid to pour from it onto the dusty lab floor.

Jenova had remained with in the tank walls, a few cables that she could not reach still held her prisoner. She curled up, the cold against her skin for the first time, and she heaved the amniotic fluid from her lungs gasping like a new born for their first life giving breath.

She had been calling her Children, those who would listen, to this place for months now. Each day calling them louder as she awoke from the coma induced sleep that she had been placed in so long ago.

She could only hope that they would come.

Jenova looked up from inside the broken tank. Her eyes held that magical glow to them, and a face that still held some innocents in it.

One of them was so near, so close...

She tried to stand up with muscles that had never been used before, yet she could not.

"I must be patient..." Her own voice had startled her for she had not spoken aloud for many years.

She waited for them to come as she broke the remaining cable that kept her.

* * *

Cloud had moved into the abandoned church where he had first met her. He had been living with Tifa and several orphans. He would only be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss them.

But he was sick. Infected with Geostigma. He remembered when the scarring first appeared a month ago. He woke up from a nightmare, a nightmare that he thought he had over come.

"Sephiroth is only a memory" He told himself as he raced toward Rocket Town on Fenrir, his custom motorcycle.

But he had felt him...

...no not him...

...he had felt...

"Mother?"

His left arm screamed in pain, as more black liquid squeezed from his skin, spreading the infection. Fenrir skidded to a stop, and Cloud barely managed to keep himself and the bike from flipping end over end.

He hugged his arm, cradling to his chest protectively.

The pain had finally passed and he started to relax his arm, rubbing away the soreness with his other hand. In the distance he could see Rocket Town, but something told him to go the other way, toward his old home.

Nibelheim.

He wasn't sure why he should go that way, there was nothing there for him, but memories.

But...

Cloud started up his motorcycle again, revving the engine a few times, and lowering his goggles over his eyes.

He wasn't one for destiny, but the something kept nagging at him, pulling on the edge of his mind. And so he departed for Nibelheim. To where the nightmare began.

* * *

Jenova had sat in the tank, stretching her leg and arm muscles. She had noticed when she exerted the energy the blueish purple veins grew brighter painting her skin with a beautiful entwine-ment that looked as if she had an exotic vine under her skin.

Slowly she stood up, climbing out of the broken tank, her feet stepping on the broken glass on the floor. An exquisite feeling rushed through her, as she looked down at the small amount of blood that escaped from her cut feet, mixing and swirling with the fluid on the floor.

Pain. She knew that feeling very well, and had come to enjoy it.

She walked to a set of keycards that had been sitting on the abandoned desk. Hojo had recreated her body to use her as his personal destroyer. But he hadn't figured that she, Jenova would enter her own blank clone, allowing her to have her own free will.

But she had played along for months, following orders, allowing them to nearly complete her. And then, when the final piece was ready to be rejoined with her...Hojo was killed, and she was left incomplete.

She had awoken many times in the tank during the two years the laboratory had been abandoned, but didn't have the strength to free herself from her prison.

Jenova opened the door from the lab, as she swung the keycards around on their chain, like a child would do when lost in thought. She walked over to another door that had been locked, picking a keycard randomly and swiping it through the scanner. Luckily it opened on the first try and she stepped inside.

The room was filled with the soft blue light of cloning tanks, and floating with in the tanks were failed attempts at cloning Jenova.

Her nude form stopped at one of them, looking at the mangled flesh that had failed to form correctly, most of the clones were grotesque looking in their deformity, but still they had her cells, cells she could control.

"Even though you are failures, you can still be of use..." She pressed her hands to the glass evenly.

"Failures..." Jenova whispered, her lips brushing against the glass of the tank as she spoke. She took a step back from the tank, then retreated to the door. She wasn't sure how well this was going to work. They were failures after all. She turned to look over her shoulder as she was about to close the door.

"Time to wake up...puppets.." The malice in her voice dripped with acid, and all at once the tanks broke, letting the mutated clones to fall to the floor. Each breathing for the first time.

She closed the door behind her, letting the clones get use to the pain of life. She knew that they would eat each other, leaving only the strongest, for that was the nature of Jenova.

The ends of her lips curved into a smile, as the muted cries of the weaker ones bled past the steel door, as they were devoured. It was like a horrible music to her ears. But how beautiful survival was.

Again she pushed her mind out to those who shared her cells, she could hear all of their heart beats, like a line of percussion that beat in rhythm.

How satisfying it was to hear them all.

And the brightest and loudest beat was coming nearer to her. The faint smile that graced her lips slowly morphed into a sneer.

"Cloud..." And in an instant she understood, the faces of the dead laid out before her like a complex data base. She sifted through the memories, picking out a face, a voice, and a personality.

* * *

Cloud had been riding for some time, he had somehow managed to hear his phone ring several times, but he never picked it up. He would listen to the messages later.

He could see Nibelheim in the distance growing larger as he approached.

He didn't like to go there. He was lost with his memories.

As Cloud entered the small town he slowed down, his eyes scanning his surroundings for what had been seared into his memory.

_The ground was soaked with blood and no one was spared._

_"Why Sephiroth..." He allowed his voice to escape from a crack in his mouth as his eyes fell upon the severed head of a boy. _

The warrior shook his head out of a pivotal point in his life. Why won't the nightmares just end, why couldn't evil just go away.

Finally he brought the massive bike to a stop. His attention caught to the eerie feeling that had brought him to this place. He looked up after putting his kickstand down and easily allow the bike to come to rest on it.

The Shinra Mansion.

He hated that place, hated the history that happened in there. The flashes of torment in his mind as he could only recall the agony he was in as Hojo preformed his experiments.

Cloud carefully picked two swords of choice, placing them in the holster he had constructed for his new weapon. He remembered bartering for the extremely complex buster sword, providing free delivery of weapons and materials to and from the weapons shop. The look of Tifa's face when he started to learn the new weapon, going out weeks at a time to fine tune his style.

He opened the decrepit door, it protested the movement in a creek that sent a shiver down Cloud's spine. What was he doing, what was he doing here? He made his way carefully through the mansion, as silent as a shadow in the house of ghosts, through the bedroom where he and Zack had stayed for the night after the black haired SOLDIER had freed them.

_'Hey I found something really nice. It's a little big. But hey, don't ask for such luxurious things. Looks good on you.'_ Zack's voice flooded in from a memory after he had dressed Cloud in a SOLDIER uniform.

Almost dauntingly, Cloud made his way down into the basement. Many of the doors had already been unlocked from their last visit. Even though he knew it was no longer used, the panic of just being in this place fluttered in his heart periodically.

Each step brought him closer to the main lab room, to the room that held such terrifying flashes of the past. His chest rose and fell quickly, his heartbeat rapidly speeding up. He felt like a child going after the boogie man in a black closet. Slowly he peered inside the room.

His eyes squinted as he looked. The overhead lighting barely lit the decaying lab, the glow of the empty tank that Zack had once been kept in, pulsated the room in a soft blue light, making details hard to see.

As he kept looking, he took a step inside the lab. His attention caught by the shattered tank that stood next to the other one. He saw what looked like a body laying on the ground in front of the broken equipment.

Slowly he approached with caution, and the body of a nude woman was laid out before him on her side, her face in the shadows, the blue light hiding the true colors of the room. Silently he knelt down, hesitantly reaching out and touching her shoulder.

There was no response. He pulled his hand away, removing his glove and again without disturbing the body he felt for a pulse at her neck. His eyes kept shying away from the gently curving slopes of her body, soft skin illuminated by the blue glow. She was warm and had a pulse. The terrible pain of geostigma reeled through his arm. He pulled away as if he had been burned, clinching his teeth till the pain resided.

"Ugh..."

Cloud nearly jumped out of his skin as the woman groaned softly. She started to stir, her body shifted and she rolled on to her back. Yet another soft moan escaped her lips, her face now visible from the shadows.

"Aerith..." Cloud nearly refused to speak her name. This woman that laid out before him was Aerith. That innocent face he had first seen after crashing through the roof of the church was perfectly detailed. This had to be the reason he came here. This had to be the reason he was drawn here.

Quickly he covered her with a dusty lab coat, wrapping it around her. Gently he picked her up, her head resting against his chest. Memories from holding Aerith in that position flooded back, but this time he would not allow her to sink into the watery abyss. This time he would keep her safe.

After setting her down in an upstairs bedroom, Cloud reached for his phone, finding seven new messages. He hated the blasted thing, it rang to much, interrupting his thoughts, his solitude, his brooding.

His fingers ran down the list in his address book, till he found Cid's number. The annoying beep followed by authoritative voice stating the 'number you have dialed has been disconnected'. He growled in annoyance. Why couldn't he just pay the bill? The blond went back to his address book, Tifa would know how to get a hold of Cid, she kept track of everyone.

Home. It felt odd that 7th Heaven was listed under the contact name of home. His thumb wavered over the send key, the odd thought of how Tifa would react. She would get so angry when he sat in thoughtful memory of Aerith after a few glasses of their home brewed ale. It would always stop him from conversing any further, which most of the time Tifa would storm out angrily, another attempt of being a family destroyed by memories of a ghost. Cloud always apologized to her afterward and Tifa always bowed her head, accepting the apology, knowing it must be hard for the blond.

"7th Heaven! How can I help you?" Tifa's voice on the other end startled him, he hadn't been aware that he had hit the send key.

"Hello?" Tifa sung questionably into the phone.

"Tifa..." He always started out that way, unsure of what to say.

"Cloud? Are you okay?" And that is the way Tifa had always answered during his pause.

"Yes. I don't have Cid's current number." Cloud stated bluntly, yet softer then usual.

"It's been disconnected again? I'll see if I can contact him. Did you break down somewhere?"

"Yes. In Nibelheim." That answered both questions simply.

"Okay. I'll call you back to let you know what's going on, okay?" She could sense he wanted off the phone.

"Doctor..." Cloud verbally reminded himself. "I need Cid to bring a doctor with him."

"A doctor? Cloud, Are you hurt? Did you wreck?" Tifa didn't hide the concern in her voice at all.

"No..." He paused turning back to gaze at the sleeping form of Aerith.

"I'm not hurt. It's for someone else." He explained as shortly as he could.

"Okay, I'll call you right back." Tifa abruptly hung up the phone. She could hear it in his voice that he was nervous about talking to her. Why couldn't he just be normal with me, she thought before remembering that there was nothing normal about Cloud Strife.

Preparing for the on coming night, Cloud had untethered the large piece of material that hung around his waist and gently tucked Aerith under the make shift blanket, making sure she was comfortable. That is after all what he used it for. The would be SOLDIER leaned his sword up against the wall. Cloud removed his shoulder armor and leather sword holster, placing it down on the floor, then took a seat next to it, resting his back against the frame of the bed.

He let his head drift slowly backward until it too rested on the bed. There were so many things rushing through his mind, but he had done it. Two years of searching and he found her. If it was really her.

He shook the somber thought from his mind.

It had to be her.

Little did he know, those beautiful green eyes that Aerith had possessed were peeking out at him from over the make shift blanket, watching the blond slowly drift off to sleep.

The soft hint of a smile on her lips faded as the night engulfed the Shinra Mansion.

* * *

Okay Chapter two is nearly completed. Bare with me as I am a busy person. Reviews will be given a hugs and loves.


	2. A Sinister Innocents

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

I hope everyone will like this second chapter. There isn't going to be a lot of set up before we get to the evil action ahead.

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italics_ : sentences that are in Italics means they are flash backs.

* * *

**Chapter Two : A Sinister Innocents**

The next morning when Cloud had awoken in the mansion, he had nearly forgotten the events that happened not that long ago, until he felt the heavy weight on his shoulder. He turned those mako filled eyes to the hand limply resting on to his shoulder. Those perfect fingers so frail, his gloved hand reached up touching them gently as if they would shatter if he grasped them.

So it hadn't been a dream. He exhaled slowly.

Aerith had stirred during the night, reaching out to touch him while he was asleep.

Carefully he got up, placing her hand back by her side. Did she had mako poisoning or was she just tired? Hopefully it wasn't as serious as the case he had gotten when he was kept in that same tank. His heart bled for her, kicking aside the question on how or why was she there.

When Cid finally arrived, Cloud carefully carried her on board to the disbelief of the Airship Captain. Cid had let out a few holy curses when he had seen Aerith's limp form cradled in Cloud's arms.

After loading Fenrir on to the airship, they departed for Edge. Cloud had not left her side nearly the entire way, he was too afraid she was going to disappear or that he would have to live that moment over again.

Finally he had been convinced of going to stretch his legs, which he did briefly before settling to think on the outside balcony of the Seria as it floated above the world, suspended in the beautiful sun that was just about to fade on the horizon.

"The rain seems to follow you where ever you go." There was a forgotten voice spoken much clearer then from any memory.

A lump formed in his throat, afraid to turn around. Aerith lazily walked up to his side, placing her fingers on the rail with such delicacy. Cloud looked at her, unable to hide the emotions scurrying about in his mind and heart, and yet he remained silent.

No words would come. He had held a delusion or two about finding her and the words he would use to express how he missed her. He imagined himself the strong one, not the one trembling.

He studied her face, so innocent, so pure. Her brown hair shrouded her shoulders, blowing in the wind. Those unbelievably sweet green eyes stared back at him, the soft smile playing on her painted lips.

Cloud turned his gaze back to the horizon and still no words came. Aerith let her eyes dance over his facial features, admiring just how stunning his profile was. After taking in her fill, she too turned to look at the raging spectacle of the dying light.

The silence remained between them, as they flew to their destination.

"Where did she come from?" Tifa questioned once they were in the hallway with concern on who that woman was that looked, talked, and acted like Aerith.

She had been in shock when Cloud burst through the door carrying a sleeping Aerith in his arms. She was just a little bit jealous when he had carried her wordlessly up to his room, placing her so lovingly down on his bed and tucking her in. She had about to question him, when he had motion to the hallway to talk.

"I found her at the Shinra Mansion, in the basement labs." Cloud was quick to answer. He could assume that Tifa was less then pleased about the whole ordeal. Marlene had watched from afar, shy and awkward with her revival.

"And it never occurred to you, that she might NOT be Aerith?" She was trying so hard not to get upset, but oh, some of the actions that Cloud took made her steaming mad at times.

Cloud had considered that. But none the less, she needed help and he was there.

"Why were you even at that horrible place?" Tifa calmed down slightly. It bothered her that these sorts of tones toward Cloud made him act the way he did around her, like a little shy teenager with an demanding mother.

"I heard her calling me..." Cloud's shoulders began to sink slightly, hating the confrontation that this was causing.

Tifa was speechless to his confession. Cloud had so many wires crossed at times that he really did get things backwards, but that wasn't his fault. She thought about the life he must of lead before he was hired for Avalanche. The things that happened to him during Meteor. She had watched him struggle so much.

The brunette really held hope that this was the real Aerith, she didn't think she could stand to see Cloud drug through the mud again. Cloud deserved a happy life, but everything always got in the way. She wanted to believe as much as Cloud, her brownish maroon eyes turned away, finding the right answers. Everything she had thought to say sounded so chastising.

"Cloud...I just..." Tifa struggled, it was always easier to talk about Cloud then to him. The words just wouldn't form what she wanted to say in the proper tone.

"Oh, nevermind..." she said in defeat walking away from the blond, bringing her questions to Cid who had been questioning the Doctor that examined her.

Cloud watched her walk off, he couldn't understand her sometimes. His blue eyes looked back toward the room where Aerith laid asleep. He knew that it would cause uneasiness around here for a few days, until the rest of the group made their decision weather or not to welcome the new Aerith.

So many questions to ask her that it hurt his head.

Inside the room where Aerith laid, she had been listening to the conversation just outside. The rest of the group wasn't so easily fooled, but then again she did have more time to spend with him. It didn't matter however. She only needed to keep this going until she was able to taint Cloud enough to keep him as her very own warrior. And then, together they could bring back Sephiroth.

She had two years to think about her revenge, two silent years locked in this second rate body, gaining strength, marveling at the sight of geostigma and how it started to clog the vary arteries of Gaia.

She was so close to her goal and waiting didn't sound appealing to her, at least not in this form. It made Jenova sick, parading around as this filthy Cetra.

The false Aerith let her eyes look over the contents of the room from where she was laying. Pictures of meadows and rolling hills of flowers littered the wall, almost obsessively of Cloud's room at the bar. She didn't quite understand, as she was mainly playing Aerith by ear, but she had known enough about her puppet deep seeded feelings for her. The love. The guilt. The devastation of her death as Sephiroth plunged the masamune through her abdomen. It nearly made her crackle with delight, but she kept those dark emotions in check.

She couldn't give up the game, even if she thought it was moving too slow.

* * *

Several days had passed at the local hangout, several days of awkward uneasiness waiting for the Aerith that Cloud had brought back from Nibelheim to fully wake up. Cloud had played nurse maid for many of those days. Sometimes Tifa would peek inside the room, finding Cloud sitting stoically in a chair watching Aerith sleep.

It worried her, to say the least.

One day she found both Denzel and Cloud sitting silently in the room, playing a simple game of War with a deck of cards. The barmaid wanted to chance to talk to Aerith, that woman alone with out Cloud hovering around.

"So are you really her?" Those maroon eyes looked accusingly at Aerith. Tifa had sent Cloud and Denzel out to fetch some supplies they needed.

"I am...but this body isn't." That innocent voice confided in Tifa.

The barmaid quirked an eye brow at the answer.

"Hojo was making this clone of my body, so he would have another Cetra to experiment on." She paused looking embarrassed for a moment.

"This was the only way I could come back. The remnants of Jenova are choking the lifestream. I had to come back...To help fight Geostigma." Aerith continued, devotion filling her tone.

"Geostigma..." Tifa repeated softly, looking over Aerith.

This Aerith had worn her hair down, instead of up in a bow. But it had been 2 years since she had last seen the Ancient and people change. Tifa had changed, struggling to make them a family.

It had been going well too, even with Cloud's withdrawn personality. That is, until he just stopped coming home.

"I understand your concern, Tifa. I'd be a little skeptical too, if I were in your position." The Cetra spoke, cupping her hands around the tea that was steaming in the mug.

"I worry about Cloud. After you died, he's been haunted with it." Tifa opened up a little more to the woman posing as Aerith.

"I'm sorry. I really am." Aerith apologized for the trouble her death had caused amongst the group. How much more entertaining it would of been if Cloud had been the one to of killed the Cetra swine.

"I don't think Cloud could take losing you again." What was Tifa saying? She still didn't believe that this was the real Aerith talking to her in a clones body.

"When I leave, I won't leave Cloud so 'haunted'."

"Leave?" The brunette questioned.

"Silly! I have to return to the planet." Aerith spoke with such ignorance to Tifa's confused hostility.

"Does Cloud know?" The barmaid sounded alarmed.

"Yes..." The flavor of melancholy hinted in her usually cheerful voice.

That would explain why Cloud hadn't left her side. Suddenly she felt terrible for sending Cloud out for groceries, it pitted in her stomach like a knot. She was a little hopeful as well, seeing as Aerith said she would leave on a good note this time. Perhaps it would uncross a few of those faulty wires in Cloud's head.

Then maybe they could be a real family.

After their conversation had ended, Tifa had went down to check on the status of the bar when Denzel and Cloud had returned with their items. The two had been talking about getting Denzel's ear pierced, which seamed to make the eight year old fall into a fit of boyish excitement. Just one more thing to be like the man he idolized.

Tifa rolled her eyes, helping them unpack the supplies and put the things away. Cloud fished into the cargo pocket of his pants, pulling out the list she had sent him off with. He placed it down in front of Tifa with most of the items crossed out. Two had little notes by them; Out of Stock - Shipment Tomorrow. While a third, just had a question mark pointing to it.

"A pistachio is a nut." She said quietly to him, trying so hard not to smile at the blonds unfamiliarity of things she put on the list every once and awhile. He had gotten better at it, knowing he had missed much during his time with Shinra, in and out of their clutches.

"It's a nut." Cloud repeated much louder to Denzel. The boy turned around as if his memory had been jogged, snapping his fingers in emphasis. It was strange how much the two of them came alive when they hung around together. The kid climbed up a top one of the bar stools, trying to restock a hard to reach item.

If felt good to have them together again, it made Tifa's heart a little brighter. And then, as if fate had just been toying with them, the happiness was gone. Denzel began to fall from his perch, crying out in pain, his hand pressed against the scar on his forehead. Cloud was there to catch him in an instant, Tifa rushing to his side.

The boy groaned in agony as the scar just kept growing, relentless in it's destruction.

"I'm okay..." Denzel tried his best to pass off the fake smile through the tears. Cloud felt so humbled by Denzel's willpower and so cowardly about his own. While Tifa prepared a wash cloth for him, Cloud took the boy up to the room he shared with Marlene, letting him rest on his bed. He wanted to stop his pain and allow Denzel to lead a normal deserving life. The kid had survived by himself after Meteor, in the cruel and unforgiving Midgar ruins.

Cloud sat on the bed while Tifa cleaned Denzel's forehead, then laid the damp cloth across his head.

The pain was only getting worse and suddenly it spiked causing the child to let loose a heart wrenching cry. Denzel clutched on to his mentors arm with all the strength he could muster. Truly strong, Cloud thought noting the boy's tolerance of his situation.

"Oh..." The sound of a heartbreaking gasped at the Geostigma that inflected Denzel. Aerith moved swiftly to the other side of the bed, reaching across it's width, and placing her hand on the boy's forehead.

"Every thing's alright now..." Her voice was so invitingly warm, like the sweet voice of a mother. Denzel immediately started to relax, his vise grip on Cloud's arm subsided as the pain was quickly becoming a memory.

Tifa had been gripping tightly at her apron, her eyes holding a sparkle of hope. Maybe this was the real Aerith. Maybe she really did come back to cure geostigma.

Maybe...

* * *

The next morning Cloud was breaking up a slab behind the bar. It had long been decided to try to grow some of their own vegetables in their own garden. It sure would help with expenses. But Cloud had abruptly left soon after that because of his infection of geostigma.

And now there he was breaking it up with a sledge hammer. Aerith watched him for several moments on the back stairs, sitting silently, selecting the next words to set her plan in motion.

"Why are you doing it that way? You could beat up this mean old slab without breaking a sweat..." The playfulness in her voice made Cloud stop mid swing.

"Feel's better to do it this way." He answered her, finding her in a new set of clothing, her hair finally back in that unique Aerith style.

"Want to take a break?" She held out a glass of water and smiled warmly. Cloud nodded, leaning the sledge hammer against a burn barrel and taking a seat on a step just below the one Aerith had perched herself on.

He accepted the water, realizing he was much thirstier then he first believed.

"I wanted to talk to you about Denzel..." She started, her fingers gently nudging each other in thought.

"I might know how to stop the geostigma infecting him, but..." She trailed off.

"But..." Cloud repeated, encouraging her to continue.

"I would have to transfer the infected cells to myself. I don't know what kind of effect it would have on this body."

"Yourself? Can you transfer the infection to someone else?" He asked with out hesitation.

"I could never do that to someone. The pain it would cause. What if I can't cure it, and I've infected a perfectly healthy person." Aerith said with a considerate tone for the welfare of others.

"Transfer it to me." Cloud spoke without a second thought.

"No. Cloud, You'll become infected." She stressed, placing her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head in refusal.

He paused for a moment, his head tilting down slightly. Aerith watched him reach up and carefully tug free the fabric that had hidden his left arm. The black scarring visible up and down his skin.

"You already have it..." She stated, a fake disbelief wavering in her voice.

Cloud nodded once, the warm somber wind brushing his feathery spikes against his face.

"If it has a chance of working...I would do it." The blond haired warrior said firmly, unfaltering in his devotion.

"Then...when ever you're ready." The glee gone from her voice. But inside Jenova was laughing. It had gone exactly as planned, in fact it was even more beautiful then she could of imagined. Perfect. Soon she would have Cloud at her feet, her will - his only desire, relishing in the dread of the planet.

* * *

Next chapter coming soon!


	3. The Ancient Cries

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS**

I am really sorry this one seems kind of mysterious. I had not meant to end the chapter with this. I wanted to keep going because it's just a bad breaking point to end with, but I didn't want to force myself to keep writing as it would of ended up as bad dribble.

Thanks to Mirrorshine & Infinite Devil Machine for the reviews.

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italics_ : sentences that are in Italics means they are flash backs or dreams.

* * *

**Chapter Three : The Ancient Cries**

The doctor had come to check on Denzel that day, relaying the news that the geostigma had become more aggressive and was spreading far more rapidly. And so that night Cloud sat on those very steps that Aerith had told him about her 'cure'. He held a half empty glass of their home brewed ale, savoring it's unique taste. It was after midnight, but he waited for Tifa to close up the bar.

The Would-be Solider studied the backlot in front of him, as he hardly looked to the sky now a days. He would never find any answers there, and so he stopped looking up. Everything was silent, just the way he liked it.

He picked up the drink, watching the stack of ice adjust itself in the glass. Aerith had went to bed early to rest up for their attempt tomorrow.

After awhile Tifa joined Cloud in the dark of night, drying her hands on a small towel and took a seat next to him. They both sat in the familiar silence, unsure why they could never quite bridge that gap between them.

"Aerith is going to try to cure Denzel of geostigma tomorrow." Cloud broke the silence with the news. There was a foreboding in his voice that wasn't ignored by Tifa's ears.

"She's going to transfer it to you...I know." The disapproval in her voice stung Cloud's heart.

"She told you..." He sounded a little betrayed.

"No. I over heard you this morning." Tifa confessed. She had been harboring the feelings all day, trying to remind herself that they weren't a real family.

"Then, you know." His voice was drowning in regret.

"Yeah. I know." The tremble in Tifa's voice indicated that she had seen the geostigma scar that marred his skin. Her emotions were so mixed up. She was angry at him, hurt by him, concerned for him.

"It's alright if you die...is that what you're thinking?" Tifa asked him bluntly and directly. Her hands, cupped her knees gripping them tighly. Cloud refused to look at her, keeping his head down, eye's currently interested in his boots.

"As I thought...that's why you took off." Everything fit together now.

"I didn't want you to watch me die." Cloud said thoughtfully, still not able to look at her.

"That's no reason to leave us like that. Without saying anything to us. You leave us for months with out calling. You think of yourself as such a burden to us. Denzel needed you, the only thing that kept him strong was you. " She didn't want to lecture him or lay on the guilt, but Cloud needed to know how his actions effected everyone.

"You don't tell us that your in trouble, or you need help. You never tell us anything." She was still fuming, her hands twisting the towel she had brought out with her.

The silence grew again as Cloud tried to find the words to speak. He was terrible at conversations, terrible at forming his thoughts into the correct words. He had no idea that he would be missed so much by them. The blond had thought everything would go about like it usually did, just without him.

"If doing this tomorrow will help you find your path..." Tifa paused resting her head in her hands. She was so tired. The brunette squeezed her maroon eyes closed. Keep it together, she scolded herself.

"...then I will stand behind your decision." She tried to keep her voice strong and firm but her womanly emotions had started to take over allowing a few tears to escape. Again the silence began to settle in, as the two of them sat barely lit by the back porch light. Tifa just couldn't keep it together anymore, and feeling it would be better to break apart in her room, she stood up and started to walk inside.

"Tifa..." Cloud spoke her name as if he wanted to tell her something. His voice caused the fighter to stop at the door. But Cloud remained mute and Tifa retreated to the safety of her room.

* * *

Cloud never ended up going to sleep, for most of the night he sat on those stairs like a fixture, thinking and wondering what would happen tomorrow. He had been brought out of his trance when the sun started to appear on the horizon, giving birth to another overcast day.

When he finally removed himself from the back lot, he walked inside to the warm bar, cleaning out the glass he had been using and placing it back where it belonged.

He was making the right decision. To even ease a little of Denzel's pain would be well worth it. With his thoughts on Denzel, he went to go check up on the boy, slowly opening the door. His mako blue eyes peered into the softly lit room and was surprised to see Aerith sitting at the chair that had become almost permanently by Denzel's bed side. Cloud silently entered the room, touching Aerith on the shoulder as not to startle her.

"He's getting worse." The Cetra looked up at Cloud, her green eyes brimming with tears.

"Then let's not wait any longer." Cloud spoke rather softly, as not to wake up the sleeping Marlene in the adjacent bed. Aerith nodded her head and Cloud sat down on Denzel's bed.

"I need to see your infected arm." Aerith spoke softly as well, not wanting to wake up the children.

Cloud again removed the single sleeve that kept the geostigma scar hidden. He offered his arm to Aerith, preparing himself for what ever might lay ahead. Her fingers gently brushed the length of his arm, until they came to a stop on his wrist. She grasped his wrist firmly and looked him in the eyes.

"Cloud. This is going to be painful. Are you sure?" She asked again, seeking Cloud's approval for the final time. Cloud only nodded, noting how cold her fingers had felt on his arm.

"Brace yourself." Aerith warned and placed her hand on the black scar on the boy's forehead. No sooner had she touched Denzel, then the pain started to set in.

Cloud felt dizzy, his eyes unable to keep focused like he had been drugged with a sedative. He could literally hear the howling pain starting to creep in closer like a freight train rocketing towards him. Aerith's grip felt like it had tightened and then all at once it hit him like a blinding light.

He choked back the sound in his throat, his flesh on fire, acid burning through his veins. Painful wasn't the word for it. Excruciating, searing, torturous pain ripped through him, and yet he still tried to remain silent. His teeth felt like they were going to shatter if he clinched them any tighter.

His chest was pumping air in and out of his lungs furiously, trying to tolerate the hellish pain. He doubled over on the bed. And then as if it couldn't get any worse, Jenova's presents invaded his mind.

He heard her voice, taunting him with a maniacal laughter. The blue flashes that had normally accompanied the infection when it spread, consumed his vision.

Sephiroth. Jenova. He saw both their faces in his mind. He could almost feel them reaching out to him, welcoming him to their existence.

The real world came crashing back in sections, his arm now feeling as if it was being torn asunder. His eyes were blazing with the blue green glow of Mako, fighting with himself to stay conscious. He caught a glimpse of his arm before he started to black out. The infection started to mass under his skin, he thought he could see it spread through his veins, making a magnificent network, branching out like a black tree just under his flesh.

* * *

_He could hear a familiar voice crying in his dream. He was dreaming now, right? The last thing he remembered was trying to help Denzel. He must of passed out during the transfer. He never liked these types of events, he had been in to many weird places to write them all off as a dream. Sometimes it even blurred together and he found it hard to distinguish at times._

_When his dream world came into perfect focus he was standing on the edge of a wasteland, before him the beautiful field of Aerith's flowers stretched as far as the eyes could see. Again he heard the girl crying, but couldn't locate the owner. He tried to step forward into the eternal garden, but the green fields shyed away from him. _

_He could hear Zack calling his name desperately in the distance. It sounded so far away. He bolted into the field, but again the paradise denied him entrance. He stopped, the trouble and confusion spilling into his eyes. His chest hurt, feeling abandoned by the warm fields._

_"Child..." A different voice called out behind him. It had sounded so warm, so affectionate. He could feel the cold embracing him, soaking through his skin and to the depth of his being._

* * *

Cloud awoke to just a flat dull ache, he stared at an unfamiliar ceiling before recognizing it as his own. That was something else he didn't like, waking up in different places. It confused him too easily.

He pulled a hand to his face, running his bare fingers across his eyes. He noticed he had been stripped down to his pants, his infected arm carefully bandaged, the blackness barely bleeding through the crisp white gauze.

"Uhg." His voice was so hoarse and raw.

"Oh you're awake...I'll go get Tifa." Marlene had been coloring on the floor, her crayons scattered around like a rainbow that had fallen to pieces. The six year old got up and left, alerting Tifa that Cloud had regained consciousness.

As the girl left, the warrior took a good long deep breath and wasting no time, swung his feet over the edge of the bed and sat up. Perhaps he should of done it a little more leisurely, as the black dots threatened to consume his vision.

He placed his bare feet on the cool floor, resisting the urge to cradle his aching arm. Cloud ran his naked hand through his hair then gave it a good firm ruffle, trying to shake the feeling he had been asleep for too long.

"You finally woke up. You've been out for a week." He recognized the relief in Tifa's voice.

A week? No wonder his body ached.

Cloud closed his eyes, trying to remember the warm green fields. How he longed just to lay down in those fields and let the light embrace him.

"Wha-" His voice refused to work on command. Clearing his throat he tried again.

"What happened?" His voice was so rough.

Tifa had her arms crossed in front of her, hugging her elbows and looking over Cloud's bare chest eagerly. She could see at least 4 major scars, one she recognized to be the remains from Sephiroth's masamune during the Nibelheim event. The other three Cloud had no memory of getting, perhaps they were from the experiments that Hojo had conducted on him or perhaps he just didn't want to tell her.

"Aerith transfered most of the geostigma to you." Tifa pulled up the chair that had been placed at Cloud's desk, pushing the crayons aside with her foot. She sat down, studying her friend carefully.

"Most?" He cleared his throat again.

"She stopped because you passed out. Denzel only has a little tiny scar on his forehead, but it hasn't been effecting him. And Aerith was just a little tired. Denzel is giving her a tour of Edge right now."

That was good. At least then what they had done wasn't for nothing. He winced finally giving into the urge to favor his infected arm.

"You kept yelling in your sleep, it's probably why your throat feels like that." Tifa wanted to reach out and hug him, she wanted to reach out and slap him too, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

"Yelling?" He posed a question. There was a weight on his shoulders, had he been yelling out all week?

Tifa hugged her arms to her a little tighter. While he was asleep, Cloud kept yelling out, crying in pain and fear. One night he had been crying out for Zack. She could still hear his voice wailing for his friend, never before had she heard such mournful cries coming from Cloud. The barmaid had stayed by his side during that night, trying the comfort distressed unconscious warrior.

"Are you alright now?" Her desire to see him well, gathered in her voice.

He was just about to answer when the phone in his room rang. The two of them made no effort to pick it up and when it was clear that it wasn't going to stop ringing, Tifa stood abruptly, dancing her way around the chair and the broken rainbow on the floor and picked up the phone.

"Strife's Delivery Service, you name it we delive-" She paused listening to the voice over the phone.

"It's Reno." With an irritated look on her face she held out the phone to Cloud. The blond hesitated at taking the phone, then tiredly claimed the phone from her, placing it up to his ear. Tifa waited for a moment, then left the room to give Cloud privacy and the freedom to speak.

The female warrior displayed an angry stride, making her way down the stairs and back to the bar. Once there she plunged her head to the bar's countertop, folding her arms under her face. She was exhausted emotionally and physically, unable to sleep with Cloud down the hall suffering like he was and she was still confused by Aerith's return. Marlene had been avoiding Aerith the entire time, but Tifa thought it was just the shyness starting to phase in again.

She looked up from the countertop. She had more important things to do, she had a bar to run and a family to look after. The barmaid couldn't stop for a breakdown just yet.

In the middle of washing dishes, Tifa caught Cloud's form appearing from the hallway fully dressed and tightening down his pauldron on his shoulder.

"So you're going then?" Tifa didn't look up from her work, pretending to be busy. It was all she could do to keep those tormenting thoughts away.

"Mm." It was a curt nod that Cloud had given her, but it was all that was needed in an answer. She knew he would come back, with Aerith here there was no doubting that he would return.

"I'll call you." His sore throat made that sound cold and harsh, rather then the warm thought he had intended it to be. Without another second wasted, Cloud left the bar.

She could hear his motorcycle start up, the rumble of the massive Fenrir vibrated the dish water she was holding hostage in the sink. Quickly the sound retreated into the distance.

The brunette sunk to her knees in front of the sink. Was he trying to get himself killed? Did he want to go back with Aerith when it was time for her to return? She began to sob silently, hiding her face in her hands.

* * *

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS AGAIN : **

Like I said. I am sorry about how this chapter ended. I'll get another chapter to you on Monday, then the next one will be on Wednesday, then Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will give me longer to write meaningful words. Plus I need sometime to work on my cosplay.


	4. Lost Pride : Part One

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS**

OH MY GOSH. I've haven't really gotten the time to write the past two days, as I have a cosplay supplies to get ready. I tried finishing Chapter 4 this morning, but the words were just too bland and clunky. So here is the first half of chapter 4...There are MINOR spoilers for Crisis Core, but it's not really anything new. I mean everybody KNOWs what happens to Zack. There is a flash back to the end of Crisis Core, - I paraphrased to the best of my abilities without trying to give the scene away completely.

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italics_ : sentences that are in Italics means they are flash backs or dreams.

**Chapter Four.1 : Lost Pride - Part One**

_"Yo, Cloud"_

_"Make it short." Cloud croaked through the phone._

_"Whoa! Whoa, Sounds like you got a nasty cold." Reno's odd personality even reached through the phone lines. _

_"I'm hanging up." Cloud said rather firmly._

_"Hold on, Yo. We've got a job we'd like to hire you for." Reno was able to grab Cloud's attention before it was too late._

_"What kind of a job?" He asked, keeping straight to the point._

_"He didn't pass that information along. The Boss would like to speak to you personally." It appeared that Reno was just playing secretary to who ever was in charge of the Shinra Company now._

_"Where?" The thought of Shinra wanting to hire him of all people. It sparked Cloud's curiosity. What would Shinra want to hire me for..._

_"We'll be waiting at the Healin Clinic. Oh...and Cloud..." Reno paused for a moment as if he was seriously trying to remember something important._

_"...you need to get here before noon." _

_"Why noon?" Cloud's eyes flashed to the clock on the desk, wondering if that was even at all possible._

_"That's when they serve up the free lunch, yo."_

_--_

And now Cloud was speeding through the wasteland that surrounded Midgar on his motorcycle. And it wasn't for the free food.

He was going to meet the Shinra group at the Healin Clinic. He remembered sitting on the edge of the bed after he had already hung up. Cloud wanted to know what they were up to and he could bet that it wasn't good. Maybe they had gotten themselves into trouble somewhere.

Cloud started to slow down at a place he had often visited. He approached the cliff face, before parking his bike. Why did he keep coming here? It was a question that he often asked himself when he laid eyes on Zack's buster sword, the blade tarnished and rusted.

_"If I used it, it'll just get dirty, worn and rusted. Angeal would never forgive me if I got his sword dirty." Zack spoke thoughtfully as he picked up the hefty buster sword._

Cloud had used it. He had used it a lot during the Meteor Crisis. Those cobalt eyes followed the length of the thick edge, as if remembering the story behind every chip and scratch on the blade. Blond eyebrows knitted together unable to suppress the tragic memory.

_The rain was steady, as it fell on the young warrior. Dragging himself through the mud, every little action was a struggle. The broken weapons and armor littered the wet ground. Cloud pulled himself to his friend, Zack was covered in blood, his shirt shredded with the fatal bullet holes. The rain drops befriending the blood, washing it clean in some places and pooling in puddles in others._

Cloud could remember every little detail, etched in his memory. Sometimes he had wondered if it would of been better if he hadn't remembered all those terrible things, but he would always chided himself for thinking like that.

_"You're the evidence that I lived." Zack's arm fell limply to the ground, finally being able to speak the words. The young Cloud pulled his head up from Zack's chest, the SOLDIERS warm blood forever stained on his face. He had thought about it for a moment, then turned to look back at his friend. _

_"My pride and dreams," Zack mustered the strength to pull the sword closer to himself._

_"have them all." The dying SOLDIER held the sword up, ceremoniously offering it to Cloud. The youth hesitantly took the sword, timid like a newborn deer, it's unfamiliar hilt heavy in his hands. Zack gently shoved the sword closer to his young friend once he had gripped it, entrusting him with the future to lead his own life._

_"...I'm the evidence that you lived..." Cloud repeated, his voice soft and broken. The knowledge in understanding those words would forever guide him. And with a faint smile, the last breath fled from Zack's lungs._

Cloud remembered that the storm eventually passed, radiating the two in the sunlight. But for him, it might of well kept on raining.

"I'm lost, Zack." Cloud admitted into the empty air. He had tried to think of a response that would fit with what the overzealous warrior would say.

_"Never lose your dreams. Also, no matter the situation never let go of your pride as a SOLDIER."_

"mm, I've lost those too." Cloud's memories served as the other side of the conversation. For now, his purpose was just barely surviving, unable to go forward, unable to go back. He had been so complete the day they defeated Sephiroth, he was so eager to start his own life. But in the end, his wounds never healed, the conscience-stricken emotions festering within him for 2 years.

--

"Hey Kadaj...are you sure that's Big Brother?" Yazoo shifted the idling Shinra motorcycle, leaning back just slightly, the long silver threads of hair adjusted with him.

"Yeah, that's him alright." Kadaj smiled, also shifting in the seat of his military green motorcycle.

They had been watching Cloud for awhile now, well at least since he had approached the buster sword that appeared to be some makeshift monument. Was this man really so powerful? And why did mother put so much time into this 'Black Sheep', was it really going to be worth the effort in the end?

"Do you think he'll play with us?" Loz, the third man with the silver colored hair spoke. He was more muscular then his brothers, barely able to fit in the leather jacket he wore.

"I'm not sure about that. Mother said he was feeling sick." Kadaj said doubtfully to his brother, cocking his head to one side, studying the situation.

The muscular tough guy frowned, his eyes on the brim of tears.

"Don't cry Loz...Mother said we could play." Yazoo reassured his brother with a flash of a smile. He had always found it extrodoary that Loz cried so easily.

"Just remember what Mother said. Play Nice." Kadaj reminded them lovingly. They were under strict instruction not to hurt him too badly, they were there just to keep their Big Brother occupied and worn out.

The three young men had finally gotten to meet Mother last week. They had felt her calling them to Midgar and deep within the ruins of the Shinra building, they had found her. Jenova had cast off the disguise of Aerith in front of them, revealing the way she really looked, at least in human form. Kadaj couldn't of imagined their mother more beautiful. She was the very definition of magnificence and elegance, even her breathing was perfect.

"You two go ahead...Mother has something else for me to do." Kadaj acted like he was Jenova's favorite, since she had assigned him to a very important task.

Loz and Yazoo looked at each other, wide sinister smiles on their faces. They revved their motorcycles and sped off in the direction of big brother.

--

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS AGAIN!!**

Like I said, I am really sorry. I'll get through this word block and get the rest of chapter 4 uploaded either today or tomorrow. ; Bare with me. I am a busy person.


	5. Lost Pride : Part Two

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS**

OMG. I am so sorry everyone. I literally fell off the face of the earth, trying to get life together. But now I'm back. I am planning to finish this. Again...I am so sorry! This is part two of chapter Four. It's as short as part one..

Thanks to Mirrorshine, Prexistence & Crimson-Soul-Lifes-Blood for the reviews.

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italics_ : sentences that are in Italics means they are flash backs or dreams.

**Chapter Four.2 : Lost Pride - Part Two**

Cloud almost lazily swung his foot over the seat of Fenrir, straddling the monstrous bike. His chat with Zack's memory hadn't helped much, but at least it was somewhat soothing.

The sound of two approaching motorcycle had caught the attention of his ears. It wasn't very often that you ran into people outside of the cities. Although they had defeated the great Sephiroth, there were still monsters roaming about. That's why Strife Delivery Service had been such a big hit with people, it was pretty much the only way to send packages to other cities.

Cloud started up his bike, perhaps it was part of the personality he had inhereted from Zack during all the confusion, but this was one trait he had no problem dealing with. This was probably the one item he loved. He had gotten the bike thanks to Tifa allowing a customer a lifetime pass to eat free at the bar. He remembered her and the kids reaction when he had come home on Fenrir. When ever he got a little time off, he would spend it fixing up the motorcycle. He would sometimes bring home engineers he met on his travels, talking to them on how to customize it.

The appraoching motorcycles finally reached Cloud, the bikes similar in size to the what Fenrir was made from. Yazoo and Loz stopping on either side of Cloud's bike, mischievous grins on their faces. They looked a few years younger then Cloud, perhaps 18. The silver hair made him slightly suspicious, as Sephiroth was to thank for that.

The warrior looked between them, waiting for someone to speak, but neither of them did. Yazoo revved his motorcycle engine, the smile disappearing from his lips. Loz followed suit.

"Wanna play?" The larger of the two silver haired men taunted somewhat like a child.

They want a race? Cloud thought to himself, slightly confused by their actions. He notice Yazoo creep down lower as if he was ready to take off.

The blond placed his goggles over his eyes, adjusting them and the strap. Cloud placed his hand on the throttle, twisting it back a few times. The roar of Fenrir's engine drown out the roar of the other two.

--

Dust went flying as the three motorcycles raced through the wasteland that surrounded Midgar.

For awhile it seemed as if it was going to be an innocent motorcycle race, with Cloud having a good 20 yard lead. That is until the two silver haired men on their matching green motorcycles summon some rather nasty looking beasts. The black beasts closed in around Cloud and just in the nick of time, he retrieved one of his buster swords from the special compartment built to hold them. He swung the sword cleaving the beast in half. It vaporized into a black mist almost as if he hadn't really hit it at all.

Gunshots rang out sparking off the blade of his bustersword. He spun Fenrir around blocking a few more shots that Yazoo had taken. Loz suddenly appeared on the other side of the blond throwing a wild punch toward Cloud.

The Soldier swerved to avoid their attacks, easily shifting the massive weight of the motorcycle.

Why couldn't things be simple?

Suddenly a blue spark flashed through his mind, the geostigma trying to spread.

Not now...not now. Cloud begged with his body, teeth grinding in pain. It caused him to paused long enough for him to loose his concentration, barely missing a jagged rock.

He heard the gunshots again, instinctively raising the buster sword to deflect them. Loz came from him at the other side, while another black beast lunged at him. Cloud swung the sword, the weight of the swing, spinning his motorcycle, his free hand gripping the clutch to allow the tires to rotate freely as he went backwards.

Another gunshot, and this time the bullet barely missed his hand, causing him to drop the buster sword. The blade went flying away on the wasteland. The pain from the geostigma just kept growing, Cloud's vision began to blur.

Cloud swung the tail end of the motorcycle around, engaging the clutch again and stepping on the gas. No choice but to out run them.

Loz appeared next to him ramming his motorcycle into Fenrir. The two stayed side by side, Cloud's full attention focused on Loz, that is until Loz cracked a smirk.

The would be SOLDIER eyes flashed in front of him, finding Yazoo rocketing toward him. He was already to close to avoid it. Yazoo squeezed the front break, causing the rear tire to lift into the air, his gun aimed at Cloud's head.

His blue eyes focused down the inner barrel of the gun, inches from his face. The gunshot was ear shattering, the flash blinded him. Cloud's goggles shattered, cutting his forehead as they flew from his head. Yazoo had completely flipped the motorcycle over Cloud, landing on the other side.

He was still alive.

He was loosing this fight. Cloud opened the throttle, trying to out distance himself from his attackers.

The rocks that protruded from the wasteland were like blurs as he sped by them, his motorcycle began to drift back and forth, barely clipping one of the boulders. But it was enough for him to loose control.

Cloud came to a sliding stop on his side, Fenrir stopping just a short way from him. He started to crawl to the motorcycle, but unable to stay awake, he drifted off into the quite abyss.

--

Tifa had been washing the dishes again. She couldn't help but think of Cloud as she stubbornly scrubbed at a stained plate, determined to make it shine brighter. The barmaid had kept trying to fix him, and she was beginning to think he wasn't even broken in the first place.

Maybe the fragmented emotion was just who he was destined to be. Things were so much easier when there was something to fight for, something to hate.

"Cozy..." A voice startled her out of her thoughts. Tifa looked up from her duties, finding a silver haired youth standing in the middle of the bar.

"Can I help you?" She placed the stained dish back in the dirty dishwater, maybe a nice soak would remove the stain.

"Is this where Big Brother lives?" Kadaj asked, looking amused at the quaint little bar.

"Brother?" Tifa questioned, slightly confused. There had been a lot of separated families after the crisis.

An arcane smirk graced Kadaj's face, as he lunged forward toward the brunette, drawing his double bladed katana.

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS AGAIN**

Okay I was at a complete blank on how to write out the motorcycle chase fight. I must of watched that part of AC millions of times. I could just not convey in words what was in my head. I kept parts of the real fight in it, but changed it up. xx Now I can finally move on to chapter 5. Hope to get it to you soon!


	6. The Burdened

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS**

I give you chapter 5.

Thanks to Mirrorshine for the review. I'm glad to be back!

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italics_ : sentences that are in Italics means they are flash backs or dreams.

* * *

**Chapter Five : The Burdened**

It took several moments, before Cloud realized that he had awoken at night. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, his muscles ached, not to mention the throb pulsating through his head. He grimaced with the phantom ache that plagued his arm. He would have to deal with it later.

How long had he been out? The last time he had fallen unconscious, it had been a week. He was starting to wonder weather this was such a good idea. He fished out his cell phone, flipping it open. The soft glow of the screen illuminated his features, the tan dirt had cemented to the dried blood on his face, his blond hair dusty. Cloud stared dully at the screen, reading the time, over and over again, yet it wasn't really registering.

He felt empty and deathly alone. His mako filled eyes hovered, almost disappointed by not having any messages. The blond allowed his eyes to travel away from the screen up to the night sky. The stars hung in the heavens, shining so brightly as if trying to encourage the warrior. They littered the sky, so peaceful, so tranquil.

Pulling his eyes away, he forced himself to look at the screen again. He had been out for 8 hours, he still had time to make it to Healin. Again he focused on the area of the screen where the message icon would normally always appear. But it refused to greet him.

Cloud closed the phone, placing it back in his pocket. He drew in a breath, holding it deep within his lungs before he stood up. Feeling defeated, he righted Fenrir, nearly apologizing to the bike out loud. It took several attempts before the bike started, he had probably flooded the engine during the crash. He let the bike idol, giving it a smooth pat on the gas tank before leaving to find the buster sword he lost during the fight. He had to wonder about the two men that had attacked him and why.  


* * *

The stale musty air violated Jenova's sences. It reaked of decay within the Shinra building, but it was for the better. No one would stumble upon them here. A thick black tar created a chaotic web within the chamber. Her alien eyes followed the outline of her three little trophies, that were caught within the sticky mess.

"Without you...he will have no where to turn..." Jenova's hand reached up, gently brushing against a sleeping Tifa's face. Marlene and Denzel were also asleep within the web. The black ooze embracing their forms, keeping them her captives.

"Mother, what are you planning to do with them?" Kadaj innocently asked. He was just so content by being in Jenova's presents, feeling complete and loved.

Jenova wrapped her elegant arms around her son, embracing him lovingly from behind. She could feel his heart jump, as her lips brushed against his ear.

"All in good time, my child." She kissed the side of his neck, tightening her embrace.

"All in good time." She repeated. Jenova released him from her motherly grasp, turning her eyes back to Tifa and the two children. They would pay dearly for interfering with Sephiroths plan. She would see to it. The hatred consumed her, the twisted purple veins moved under her pale white skin. She approached her captives, the most sinister of smiles on her dark purple lips. Cloud would have to give into her will, already she could feel her cells starting to take over his body, but his mind would be another thing. She would have to tear it asunder and make him destroy everything he held so dear.

* * *

Cloud listened to Rufus Shinra, the former president of the Shinra Company sat crippled in a wheelchair covered in a pristine white sheet. He could see the scarring from the geostigma peeking out from it's haven on Rufus's hand. He had to wonder if they knew about his own sickness, it was why he wore the sleeve. Not too many people wanted to get involved with someone infected with geostigma.

"What do you mean? A cure?" Cloud asked. He had been defensive from the time he had gotten there. He wasn't interested in Rufus or how he survived, and he nearly left before the executive got to the point.

"We at Shinra have a big debt to repay to the world. The responsibility of putting the world in it's current, pathetic state...the people can't help but to blame us. Consequently, we must somehow repay this debt of ours."

Cloud could relate to those people that blamed the Shinra Company. It was their play for power that allowed the evil to be unleashed upon the world. All of their dark little secret, true evil hiding within the ranks of the powerful corporation.

"It's dark out here!" Reno's muffled voice yelled through the door. Cloud had locked the Turk out earlier when they crossed weapons, and now the red head kept injecting random bits of information.

"As our first step, we began an investigation into the influences that Sephiroth left. But something unexpected happened. Someone got in our way. Those people who attacked you...They're Kadaj's gang." Rufus studied Cloud's reaction, finding it hard to read the Would-be SOLDIER.

"Kadaj..." Cloud repeated the name, as if writing it in his memory.

"It seems that they meant to interfere with our plans for a cure. Really... I can't figure out why." Rufus let his right hand tap nervously on the arm rest on his wheelchair.

Cloud could feel that Shinra was hiding something. Of course they were hiding something. He couldn't really believe that they had turned over a new leaf.

"Why did you call me?" Cloud questioned.

"Your our buddy, right?" Reno spoke up again from outside. Cloud responded with a swift annoyed kick to the door.

"Kadaj's group is dangerous. So, we decided to hire a skilled bodyguard." The head of the Shinra Company finally made his proposal to the blond.

"I'm a delivery man." It sounded lame, but Cloud was done with fighting. Especially since he had become infected with geostigma.

"You're the only one. Please, ex-SOLDIER Cloud?" There was a hint of desperation in Rufus's voice.

"Would-be..." Cloud grew tired of the conversation turning to leave, unlocking the door.

"I hear the orphan that was living with you started to make a recovery...Don't you want that for everyone suffering from Geostigma? Don't you want to bring smiles back to their faces?"

The delivery man stopped in mid-step, his back to Rufus. He had to wonder if they knew about Aerith as well, it was obvious they had been spying on him, but for how long and how well.

"Look Cloud, all we want is to rebuild our world." The President tried a final plea, knowing that Cloud would be the only one strong enough to fight off the gang if they were to attack Shinra directly.

"I..." The blond turned back to face Rufus, still unsure about Shinra's true intentions.

"Please, Cloud. We're rebuilding the Shinra Company, yo!" Reno pushed the door open, yet kept his distance from the Would-be SOLDIER.

"Not Interested." There was a brief glare from Cloud as he turn to the door and left, the red head scrambling to get out of his way.

"Reno!" Rufus scolded loudly as the door shut again.

* * *

"What in the HELL happened here?" Barret's voice boomed upon seeing the destroyed inside of 7th Heaven. Cid had felt it was his duty to retrieve everyone after Aerith's return, but when the group entered the bar, they found the place empty and damaged.

"It looks like there was a fight!" Yuffie pointed out the obvious with an enthusiastic voice. Vincent stood emotionally silently with his arms crossed, wondering why he found the company of these people to be so amusing.

The group carefully combed over the place looking for any clues. They had found a small pool of blood behind the counter, but nothing that appeared that it had been life threatening.

"Let's spread out and search the city. Yuffie you stay here in case someone comes back." Barret took control like always when Cloud or Tifa wasn't around.

Yuffie threw out a peace sign as the rest left 7th Heaven, ready to guard the bar from any more intruders with her self proclaimed awesome ninja skills. She would be disappointed in the hours to come. Vincent should of stayed behind. Boredom wasn't a hobby of hers.

* * *

Cloud had stopped at an Inn in Kalm. He figured it might be best to rest before getting back to Midgar and had paid for the innkeeper to wake him up in a few hours.

And now an hour later, Cloud stared at his reflection on the small mirror in the overly cramped bathroom. He let his shirt and sleeve drop to the floor, unable to shake his eyes away from the black scarring that marred his arm and now his chest. No longer was it just the soot type appearance on the skin, but his veins were black in the infected area. He had never seen this with other people that had been infected, but perhaps it was because he had been enhanced by Hojo's deplorable experiments.

Finally he tore his eyes away from the mirror, turning to look at his arm and upper chest. His fingers lightly traced the black veins, his brows knitted together, flexing his arm carefully. His thoughts drifted to the chance of a cure. Would he live long enough to see a cure? Did geostigma have to do with Sephiroth and Jenova? By what Rufus Shinra had said, it certainly seamed that way.

Again he caught his reflection in the mirror, his eyes focusing on the cuts from when his goggles saved his life. He was so easily defeated.

He was weak.

He couldn't protect anyone.

Disgusted, he picked up his shirt from the floor and threw it over the back of a broken chair. He sat down on the bed, the mattress springs protested with his weight. Cloud flipped open his phone, finding that there were still no messages. The blond cycled through his call list finding the number for the bar. The word 'home' glaring out at him. Unsure fingers hovered over the send button. It had felt like hours, hesitating to call Tifa, afraid to hear her voice. Afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up the emotional barrier he had placed up so many times before.

With second thoughts, Cloud flipped the phone shut and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. Reaching over he turned off the light and laid down, trying to block out the turmoil in his mind.

* * *

Jenova sat in a makeshift throne, leaning to one side, her head propped up by her hand, the look of endless patience caressing her perfect face. Long silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, her high collar black leather vest revealing her cleavage. Scarlet leather pants rustled as she crossed her legs. Kadaj sat at her feet as any obedient child should. She more or less cared for the three silver haired youths, but if they outlived their value she would devour them. As any good mother should.

Jenova longed for her first born. Her king. Sephiroth. He was exquisitely divine, powerful enough to throw the world into chaos. She reached out, running her fingers through Kadaj's hair. If he only knew the plans she held for him, he would be the vessel of which Sephiroth would be reborn. And together they would travel the universe, bring chaos and then order.

Once she gained enough power, that is. But in the mean time, she would reclaim her Knight. And if Cloud refused her, she would kill him. Slowly, painfully. And let him watch as she destroyed everything he held dear.

"It's time." Jenova's sinister voice broke the silence within the chamber. She could feel Cloud waking up from his slumber in Kalm. In a blink of an eye, Jenova's scantly clad body had changed it's appearance into the Cetra once more, and hopefully for the last time.

* * *

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS AGAIN**

Okay! Now things are really gonna start moving along!! Chapter 6 will be...evil BWUAHAHAHAHA!!


	7. Precious Betrayal

**JENOVA'S CHILDREN**

This story is an AU(alternate universe) taking the place of the Advent Children Time Line. Everything is the same in the AC world except the following: I've changed the plot making it more sinister and the outcome is to die for. If you like the anguish, the terror, the horrors, the action, and the darkness that the FF7 world brings, you WILL like this plot. I try to stick to the world and characters as closely as I can, while improvising the events, thoughts and their actions.

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS**

I've been rather busy these past couple of weeks, but I'm trying to get a chapter up at least once a week. Thank you for being so patient with me. I also typed these up kind of fast. Reviews would be very much appreciated to let me know how I'm doing. If something confuses you let me know, so I can clarify it later on.

**NOTES:**

"..." verbal speaking

'...' Jenova's voice in the mind.

_Italics_ : sentences that are in Italics means they are flash backs or dreams.

**Chapter Six : Precious Betrayal**

Tifa started to awake in Jenova's underground lair. Slowly her eyes began to flutter open, her mind in a haze. She couldn't quite remember what had happened. Her chocolate colored eyes finally focused in the dimly lit chamber, her eyes coming to rest of the small child figures that resided on either side. Tifa struggled to move, but found herself held firmly in place.

"Marlene...Denzel..." The fear stained her voice. The children where deep within the realm of sleep. Her body ached from the wounds that she received from the fight. The memory rushing back to her like a living nightmare.

* * *

_Kadaj's double bladed katana pierced Tifa's shoulder, running it through the tender flesh and into the floor boards below. Tifa screamed in pain. The look of pleasure was plastered over the silver haired youth's face._

_"What do you want?" Tifa lashed her foot out hopelessly trying to strike Kadaj. _

_"Mother wanted me to bring you to her..." Kadaj had been delighted when Jenova had assigned him with a special project. The murderous grin slid wide on his face, twisting the blades in her shoulder. The brunette bit her lip, trying not to cry out. _

_"Your...Mother?" Tifa struggled with the words._

_"I believe you've already met her..." The childish humor in his voice echoed in the empty bar. Confusion ran rampit in Tifa's brown eyes, causing Kadaj to laugh harder. The faint sound of foot steps caught her attention. Someone else had entered the bar. The brunet prayed that it wasn't one of the children...her heart twisted with dread. _

_"Mother! Look what I caught for you!" Kadaj's voice was over joyed with his accomplishment. He would do anything if Mother commanded, her love was the only thing he wished for, the only thing he longed for._

_The footsteps grew nearer, coming to a stop at the end of the counter. Tifa tried to shift her weight, the blade in her shoulder making it nearly impossible to see who was standing there. Kadaj moved, to give his mother a better view of his captive._

_Tifa's eyes widen when she locked eyes with the emerald green eyes that belonged to Aerith._

_Traitor._

_Outraged and panicked, the barmaid began to thrash around violently, not caring if she inflicted more damage to her shoulder. A scream full of rage blinded any decipherable words she might of spoken. How could of they been so blind?  


* * *

_

The rage that consumed lent it's strength to her attempt to free herself. The fighter's blood was hot with anger, fist shaking uncontrollably. Her heart was beating with such force it felt like it was about to leap from her chest. With a war cry she tore loose from the thick black ooze that had served as their chains.

From what she could tell the chamber was empty. There was no sign of Aerith or the silver hair youth who had attacked her earlier. Quickly she turned, plucking Marlene and Denzel from their captivity, the two children where sleeping but appeared to be alright. She let a sigh of relief escape into the stale air.

"I am so pissed..." She grunted under her breath, slinging the two children over her shoulders, her body disapproved of the extra weight, but she didn't have time to argue with it.

When she finally found her way out of the ruins of the Shinra building, dawn hung on the purple skirts of a fading night. Her thoughts for the moment circled around Cloud and that...that...monster. Hopefully it wasn't too late, hopefully Cloud would see through it.

She hastily made her way back to 7th Heaven, each step was agonizing as she ran with the two children still slung over her shoulder.

Yuffie was hunched over at the counter of the bar, testing out her mad ninja coloring skills. She had found this nice big box of crayons and some clean paper that was just begging to be beautified. The crayons reminded her of materia, the bright shiny colors calling out to her. She giggled to herself, drawing characters of the rest of the gang.

The front door chimed as Tifa kicked it open, scaring Yuffie out of her seat.

"Tifa! Everyone is worried! What's going on?" Yuffie stood up, rubbing her rear.

"Can't explain it all now, but Aerith is an impostor." Tifa carefully laid the kids down on the long booth seat that lined one of the walls.

"Whadda ya mean?"

"Meaning this Aerith is Bad. She was behind the attacked on me. Have you seen Cloud?" Her words were rushed.

"No. Everyone is out looking for you and him."

"Watch the kids, I have to find Cloud. I have to warn him." Tifa ran from the bar. There could be only one place that Cloud would linger at, and that would be the old church in the ruins of Midgar.

* * *

Cloud sat on Fenrir for a moment, staring at the ruined church where Aerith had once grown her flowers. He didn't know why he was so compelled to visit her when she was probably waiting with Tifa and the children bak at 7th Heaven. But still. He placed the kick stand down and dismounted, flipping out his phone once again to check the messages. The message icon was still blank, unusual since he had told Tifa he would call.

Maybe that's why he didn't have any messages. Maybe she had waited for him to call, waited to see if he would call. He felt a small ammount of guilt about not calling, but since he was already back in Midgar, a few more hours wouldn't hurt. Besides, if he called now, it would probably just wake the kids.

Feeling confident in his excuse, Cloud opened the door to the church, his body froze, mako eyes wide. For a moment he thought he was hallucinating, fixated on the fragile frame of Aerith. Dressed in a simple pink dress, her long brown hair up in a loosely braided pony tail.

"Welcome back. I'm glad your safe..." Her soft voice echoed in the abandoned church. She smiled, the morning light cascading through the holes in the roof. She approached the blond, grasping his gloved hands gently in hers, pulling him toward the middle of the church, stopping just before they reached the flowers. Cloud for the first time, in a long time, felt at peace. Those cerulean blue eyes of Cloud's returned a soft smile, the feeling of guilt had been pushed aside.

And yet, the peace he felt was still a mournful one. He knew she couldn't stay forever and eventually she would have to return to Gaia. The content silence grew within the church, the flowers permeated the air with a delicate and gentle smell.

"Aerith...I.." His words hushed as she placed a finger to his mouth, the smile fading from his lips.

"You don't have to say anything. I can feel you. I will always be with you." Aerith placed her hand over his heart, feeling it's steady rhythm on her palm. That innocent smile played at the corner of her lips. She brought both her hands up to his face, cuffing the sides of his head gently. Cloud let a small gasp escape his throat, the warmth of her hands had been forgotten by his skin. The mako blue lost in the aqua marine eyes that seemed to never end.

Vincent watched silently from above, hidden in the shadow of a fallen pillar on the second floor. Those scarlet eyes related with the pain that must of been in his comrade's heart, the feeling of being unable to save the one you wanted most. He had thought about leaving the two of them there, but there were still questions plaguing his mind, like what had happened at the bar. His arm's were folded over his chest, he allowed his eyes to close, giving the couple some kind of privacy.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Tifa's screamed, the desperation in her voice punctured the serenity. Her body still hurt from the fight with Kadaj, yet she carried herself strong.

Vincent's eyes flew open, returning his gaze to the scene below. Certainly it wasn't a common case of jealousy. Aerith turned to look at Tifa, her hands still firmly planted on the side of Cloud's face. The innocents was lost from her face and a sinister gleam flashed in her eyes

"Get away from him...JENOVA." The female fighter tried to calm herself, but her heart was raging with anger.

"Jenova?" Vincent repeated the revelation, focusing on Aerith's form. Why hadn't Cloud moved away? His red eyes traveled to her hands on Cloud's face, and only then did he see the purple veins protruding from her finger tips and infused into Cloud's skin. The dark veins laced his skin, traveling down his neck beyond the reaches of sight.

Without hesitation, Vincent fired off a shot. The round struck Jenova squarely in the chest, the disguise of Aerith's shattered like glass leaving Jenova's true appearance standing in it's place. An ominous laughter began to fall from Jenova's lips like a crisp rare wine, as the bullet wound was sealed by the black tar.

"Let him GO!" The barmaid lunged forward, her fists ready to slam into Jenova's perfect face. The Alien flipped backwards, the long veins remained plunged into Cloud, growing to give Jenova the maneuverability to dodge the attack. Jenova hovered in mid-air, her wicked presents unleashed for all to see.

Tifa was now standing where Jenova had been, her hands lashing out, grabbing Cloud by the shoulders.

"Snap out of it! Wake up!" She shook him violently. Cloud stood still, his eyes had lost their luster, content with the empty void that had filled his mind.

"Release him..." Vincent spoke up, his weapon taking up aim on Jenova's forehead. The Dark Harbinger turned her malevolent gaze toward the former Turk, the malicious smile widened.

"As you wish..." Her melodious voice sneered, her veins pulling away, snaking their way through the air and returning to her own body.

Jenova released Cloud's mind from the illusion she held him in. All at once, the alien cells violated his body. It washed over him like a title wave. Tifa's grip on his shoulders tightened and with an agonizing cry, Cloud threw Tifa backwards with all the force he could muster. The female fighter slammed against the wall of the church, her eyes wide in shock, the breath stolen from her lungs. The blond dropped to his knees, hands cradling his head. He could feel the cold nipping at him, like a freezing rain seeping through his flesh and cutting into his bones. An inhuman scream ripped through Cloud's throat. His blood started to boil. The Would-be SOLDIER clawed at his head and neck feeling suffocated, the look of satisfaction flooded Jenova's face before she retreated and disappeared from the holy ruins.

Vincent lept from the second floor, landing next to Cloud. In his madness, the blond tried to attack Vincent, but Vincent drove his comrade backwards, ramming him into opposite wall, pinning him with his body. He grabbed on to Cloud's wrists, holding them above his head. It took all the power Vincent had to keep the warrior still.

"Fight it..." He offered words of encouragement to his friend.

The Former Turk could see the chaos unfolding into Cloud's mind. His body battling it out with the foreign alien cells, the mako blue eyes, distorting into the cat like slits. Blind rage was consuming the warrior, Cloud's teeth were clenched shut, his chest heaving with fragrent air. Single strands of blond began to transform with silver roots.

"Control it...don't let it control you..." Vincent's low voice tried to sooth the turmoil Cloud was feeling. The gunfighter knew all to well the maddening effects, knew all to well the beast that lurked within everyone.

Tifa watched from the other side of the church, disheartened with the pained howls coming from Cloud. What had Jenova done to him? She felt the wet liquid caressing her cheeks, the tears flowing freely from her eyes, her back still against the wall to where she landed.

"Control it!!" Vincent's growled, slamming Cloud against the wall again as if to knock some sanity back into him. Cloud's muscles slowly started to weakened, breath relaxing into a steady pace. The twisted expression softened, his eyes fluttering closed then reopened, the intense glow of mako illuminating those blue orbs.

"Vincent..." His voice sounded strained and fragmented, realizing that it was his friend before him. No longer having the fortitude to stay awake, Cloud slumped forward, Vincent carefully gathering the weight in his arms.

"Tifa." Vincent nearly barked at the barmaid, she responded almost immediately, pulling herself up on the floor, wiping the tears from her eyes. She would have to endure yet again, pushing her despair to the side and reinforcing the mask of strength.  


* * *

**THE AUTHOR SPEAKS AGAIN**

Okay, so it wasn't as 'evil' as I thought I was going to make it. I was having a hard time getting the words to come to my mind, especially the speaking parts.


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